Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-01-15
PRIVATB SNYDER AG ED. zs.
He Has Been for Thirty-SeVen Years 1t
Fort Laramie, And likes it

He Has Been for Thirty-ssVen Years 1t
Fort Laramie, And likes It.
Private Leo Snyder, the Oldest sold
Ter in the United States army, who has
been stationed at this post tor more than
thirty-seven years, has just left for the
East, writes Fort Laramie WY cor
respondent of the New York Sun. Dur
ing the greater part of his career as a
soldier he never manifested a desire To
change his location, but OF late he has
conceived the idea that there are fewer
mosquitoes at the East, that oysters
may be had there, and that Goldfish is
better the nearer one gets to salt water.
With these thoughts old Leo, who is
now IS years Of age, turns his back up
on the scenes Of his long and active life
and goes out among strangers. 'tIf
don't like it down there" he said as he
YES leaving, ''why I can come back TO
Laramie. If the mosquitoes are bad
shall not stay long"
It Is some time since Leo did any &C
tive service, but he has Tesolutely refus-
ed to be retired, and, as 8 consequence,
he has been kept here as ordnance ser
geant, taking care Of the guns and max
ing himself generally useful. Through
the influence OF friends he has now Sc
cured similar post at Clark's Point,
near New Bedford, where he says, he
will have nothing TO do but raise the
colors every morning and lower them
every night. This strikes MIN as a Job
that he is fully equal to and he insists
on doing something Of the kind as long
as there is life in his body. SD yder en-.
listed as a private in Pittsburg, in 1887
and came to this post in 1849, when il
was one of the most advanced Of govern.
ment forts In the then Indian country
During all the years that have elapsed
since then he has never been away from
| the fort except on Indian campaigns, anC
the journey which he is now to tax,
will be his first ride on a railroad. 81
have seen here railroad q good many
times,'' he said as he was setting out
But can't say as like it. 1t gOe
/ too fast. I remember when it cam
/ through, and did not have a very gOOC
opinion OF it then, neither. Do you re
member when the Northern Cheyenne
broke loose a few years ago? Well
that was the first time that ever saw
'em try to use the railroad for the army
! They had us down the road waiting TO
| the redskins to Cross the track, but no
body knew Just where they would come
We were picketed all along for miles
and pretty soon word was received tina
the Iniuns had crossed at about Sidney
somewhere. Then there was the dew
to pay. They had several trains of carr
for US, and, OF course, they were no
anywhere near where the Injuns we're
So, after awhile, they picked up some Of
the troops and carried them down t
Sidney, but, great sn4okel young man
there wasn't a redskin In sight by tina
time. I knew how that would comt
out all the time. You san't fight Injunl
with the railroad. We went on ate
them on foot and overhRuled them ate
awhile. You can most always find al
Iniun when you want to. The Inju1
don't understand the railroad either
Nor the telegraft. saw 'em root VI
about fifty miles Of TELEGRAPH poles ane
wires once, but they didn't know what I
devil OF a trick they were playing"
Although old Leo has seen as P4uel
hard service as any man who ever Wor
the blue, it is a singular fact that h'
was never wounded. Speaking on thi
subject one day he bluntly refused to Civ
any OF his experiences In battle with tht
/ Indians, but said: ''NO, I never got IN
IN any Of the fights that I was in. Per
haps some folks after looking me owe
and finding no scars on me, might sa,
that was no soldier, but I can tell yOU
that that isn't always necessary. Tn
soldiers who get killed are not the one
who do the fighting. It's the men VIII
60 In and belE-Of 'em and don't &c
killed who win great victories ever
time. That's a fact that Sheridan, CrOO'
and the rest OF 'em don't dwell heav,
enough on In nay opinion No, sir;
never got a bullet or an arrer In my life
and 1 was always IN where they were
flying too"
When Leo YVES told that he wouli
not know the country at the East b
unused a while and said he supposed not
But he continued, At imagine some
thing about it, When I went into tn
army there want no such town as Chi
cegO. All the teaming was done on tn
old national pike. Down where yOl
fellows say that Omaha and Kansa
City are, there want nothing when
came through here. But you don't hav
no such fun here now as we had then
In those days Laramie was a i've regi
ment post, and it was a dull week tha
We didn't have to 60 oat and maui some
body. I know about what It is dow
east. was there In ~, and I've hear
fiom there since. There has been 6 gres
change, though. Of course Whsn oil
Buck wan elected president He didn'
know anything about it until the mex
April Since then I've seen 'em call n
up from Robinson and Fsttsrman L
i've minutes after the Injuns made Glei